Self-loading pistol with continuous firing device

ABSTRACT

A self-loading pistol incorporates a trigger assembly which can be selectively adjusted to a position for single shot firing and to a position for continuous firing, and comprises a shoulder support which is releasably attached to the hand grip of the pistol and which accommodates adjusting means for setting the trigger assembly to the one or other of the selectable positions, the trigger assembly being arranged to return to the single shot firing position when the shoulder support is disconnected from the hand grip. The shoulder support may be hollow and shaped to accommodate the pistol.

United States Patent Seidel et al.

[4 1 Feb. 15, 1972 154] SELF-LOADING PISTOL WITH CONTINUOUS FIRINGDEVICE [72] Inventors: Alex Seidel; Tilo Moller, both ofObemdorf/Neckar; Helmut Weldle, Beffendorf, all of Germany [73]Assignee: Firma Heckler & Koch GmhH, Oberndorf,

Germany [22] Filed: Sept. 17, 1969 211 Appl. No.: 858,642

[30] Foreign Application Priority Data Sept. 18, 1968 Germany ..Pl7 28249.4

[52] US. Cl ..42/72, 89/140 [51] Int. Cl. ..F41c 23/00, F410 5/00 [58]Field of Search ..42/69, 71 P, 72; 224/1 R, 2 B,

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,266,632 5/1918 Sachs..42/72 1,307,594 6/1919 Newman ..42/1 R X 2,324,125 7/1943 Van Horn etal. 2,455,635 12/ l 948 Witte 1,367,996 2/ 1921 Sussman ..42/72 PrimaryExaminer-Benjamin A. Borchelt Assistant Examiner-Jams M. HanleyAttorneyCraig, Antonelli & Hill [5 7] ABSTRACT A self-loading pistolincorporates a trigger assembly which can be selectively adjusted to aposition for single shot firing and to a position for continuous firing,and comprises a shoulder support which is releasably attached to thehand grip of the pistol and which accommodates adjusting means forsetting the trigger assembly to the one or other of the selectablepositions, the trigger assembly being arranged to return to the singleshot firing position'when the shoulder support is disconnected from thehand grip. The shoulder support may be hollow and shaped to accommodatethe pistol.

13 Claims, 4 Drawing Figures SHEET 2 BF 2 IN V EN TOR5 Lo mb'LLE/i 1dHELMuT WELDLE BY W W 4W W SELF-LOADING PISTOL WITH CONTINUOUS FIRINGDEVICE This invention relates to a self-loading pistol with a triggerassembly which is adjustable for continuous firing.

Self-loading pistols having a trigger assembly which can be adjusted forcontinuous firing are known; however, they have only little valuebecause it is impossible to hold the pistol on target against the forceswhich occur during the discharge of continuous fire. This fact has ledto the development of machine pistols which are provided with a shouldersupport. However, it is not always possible or desirable that a machinepistol should be carried about, although on the other hand the firingpower of a machine pistol would be of advantage.

The invention is based on the problem to provide a selfloading pistolwhich can be handled like a normal pistol, but which can be used also inthe manner of a machine pistol and then permits the discharge ofcontinuous fire.

This problem is solved according to the invention in that the pistol isprovided with a shoulder support to which the back of the hand grip ofthe pistol is releasably fixed, and that selector members for changingthe trigger assembly to continuous firing are disposed in the shouldersupport and are in operative connection with the trigger assembly of thepistol in such manner that in the absence of the shoulder support thetrigger assembly always assumes a single shot rest position.

A self-loading pistol according to the invention can thus be selectivelyused like a conventional pistol as also in conjunction with the shouldersupport like a machine pistol. Owing to the fact that the selectormembers for changing the trigger device to continuous fire are disposedin the shoulder support and the trigger assembly is constructed in suchmanner that it can be changed to continuous firing only under the effectof these selector members, otherwise however assumes a single shot restposition, it is ensured that in normal use of the pistol continuous firecan never be discharged inadvertently. Thereby the possibility isexcluded that during normal use of the pistol ammunition is wastedthrough unaimed continuous fire and the unaimed shots injure peoplewhich are not located in the intended direction of shooting. lnconjunction with the shoulder support, however, a desired high-firingefficiency can be attained by changeover to continuous firing and alsoaimed continuous fire can be delivered. Obviously, single shots can befired also when the shoulder support is used.

The selective use of the pistol with or without shoulder support iseasily possible in particular when, as in a preferred embodiment of theinvention, the shoulder support is constructed as a hollow body which isadapted to serve also as a pistol holster and a cover of which forms asupport surface intended to be placed against the shoulder of a user ofthe pistol. Such a shoulder support serving simultaneously as pistolholster is preferably produced from a synthetic resin material.

Connection between the trigger assembly of the pistol and the selectormembers disposed in the shoulder support can be established in aparticularly simple manner by means of a selector pin which is mountedin the shoulder suppo'rt displaceable in its longitudinal direction andwhich projects from the front end of the shoulder support, the forwardend of the pin being in operative connection with a selector memberwhich is mounted in the hand grip of the pistol and which is accessiblefrom the rear end of the hand grip. The selector member may always bepressed by a spring in the direction towards the rear end of the handgrip and in its rest position maintain the trigger assembly in itssingle shot setting. In this manner not only perfect coupling isobtained between the selector pin and the selector member withoutparticular manipulations being necessary therefor, but it is alsoensured in a simple manner that the trigger assembly always assumes thesingle shot rest position when the shoulder support is absent.

ln a particularly preferred embodiment of the invention the triggerassembly of the pistol has a special continuous firing device which isheld in a rest position by the selector member which itself is locatedin its rest position. This continuous firing device may have a catchpawl which is adapted to cooperate with the striker pin of the pistol;the part of the pawl cooperating with the striker pin isheld against theforce of a spring outside the path of a nose'attached to the strikerpin. In this case it is particularly convenient to construct theselector member as a selector rod which is displaceable in itslongitudinal direction and which is disposed in the continuation of theselector pin mounted in the shoulder support and the forward end ofwhich projects into the hand grip of the pistol and has a collar bymeans of which it engages in its rest position behind a lug whichprojects laterally from an arm of the catch pawl.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention the selector pin disposed inthe shoulder support is loaded by a spring which tends to press the pinout of the front end face of the shoulder support and a detainedselecting lever is mounted in the shoulder support and forms anabutment'on which the selector pin rests under the force of the springloading the latter. This construction of the selector pin provides thepossibility of using the pin also for locking together the shouldersupport and the pistol. For the purpose of connecting the shouldersupport to the pistol mutually telescopable connecting members may beprovided at the rear of the hand grip of the pistol and at the frontface of the shoulder support, and the selector pin may resilientlyengage in a recess provided at the rear of the hand grip. The resilientmounting of the selector pin ensures automatic engagement when theconnection is effected so that the latter can be produced very quickly.In this case it .is preferable that the selector pin and the selectinglever are in engagement with each other by a pin and slot connection sothat the selector pin can yield while it engages in the hand grip of thepistol, without the position of the selecting lever being changed.Furthermore, the selecting lever may be pivotal rearwardly to suchextent that the selector pin is pulled out of the recess of the handgrip when the pistol and the shoulder support are to be separated fromeach other again.

Further details and constructional features of the invention will beclear from the following description in which the invention is describedand explained in detail with reference to the embodiment illustrated inthe accompanying drawings. The features which can be found in thedescription and the" drawings may be used in other embodiments of theinvention individually by themselves or several together in anycombination. In the drawings: I v

FIG. 1 illustrates a pistol with a shoulder support according to theinvention in the assembled state, partly in side view and partly inlongitudinal section,

FIG. 2 is a longitudinal section through the rear part of the pistol andthe forward part of the shoulder support when adjusted to single shotfiring,

FIG. 3 is a cross section similar to FIG. 2 but in which inessentialparts have been omitted, illustrating the adjustment for continuousfiring and with the trigger actuated, and

H0. 4 is a section along the line lV-lV through the arrangementaccording to FIG. 2.

In an embodiment of the invention illustrated by way of example in FIG.1, a pistol 1 consists substantially of a handgrip 2 and a breechassembly 3 which is mounted for displacement in its longitudinaldirection. The pistol is attached by the rear end of the handgrip 2 tothe front end of a shoulder support 4. The shoulder support 4 is ahollow body which is produced from a synthetic resin and which isconstructed to serve also as a pistol holster; it is provided at itsrear end with a cover 5 which forms a support surface 6 intended to beplaced against the shoulder of a user of the pistol. The positionassumed by the pistol when located in the shoulder support is indicatedby a chain link contour 7. In order to accommodate the pistol in theshoulder support 4 substantially without play, rails 8 are disposed inthe interior of the shoulder support 4 and in the cover 5. For thepurpose of connecting the shoulder support to the pistol, T-shaped slidemembers 9 are attached to the forward end face of the shoulder support 4and are slidable into suitably undercut recesses 10 at the rear face ofthe handgrip 2 of the pistol 1. When a suitable synthetic resin is usedand the cavity in the shoulder support is sufficiently large awatertight holder is formed which is capable of floating in water withthe pistol contained therein.

A trigger assembly 11 disposed in the handgrip 2 of the pistol isprovided with two trigger rods which are displaceable in theirlongitudinal direction; they are connected to a trigger 12 in a mannernot illustrated in detail, and are guided on a pin 14 by means of alongitudinal slot 13; only one of these rods is visible in FIGS. 2 and3. See my copending application Ser. No. 858,641, for a detaileddescription of the triggering mechanism. A driver member or sear 16which is displaceable transversely to the trigger rods is mountedbetween the trigger rods 15 and is provided with an inclined surface 17which projects into the region of the slots 13. A spring 18 which issupported on a lug l9 bent away from one of the trigger rods tends tohold the sear 16 in its uppermost position in which a shoulder 20thereof is located in front of a nose 21 of a striker pin 22. When thetrigger 12. is actuated, the trigger rods 15 are moved rearwardlytogether with the sear 16 which displaces the striker pin 22 byengagement with the nose 21 thereof. As may be seen from FIG. 3 theinclined surface 17 of the sear 16 comes thereby into engagement withthe pin 14 so that the sear 16 is moved downwardly and the striker pin22 is released. A striker pin spring 23 then drives the striker pinforwards for igniting a cartridge.

Furthermore the trigger assembly 11 is provided with a catch pawl 24which is pivotally mounted on a pin 25 outside the space between thetrigger rods 15 and makes possible the discharge of continuous fire. Aslong as the pistol is adjusted to single shot firing this catch pawl isheld by a selector rod 26 in a rest position in which it is ineffective.As may be seen from FIGS. 2 and 3, the selector rod 26 is mounted fordisplacement in the longitudinal direction of the firearm in the rearpart of the handgrip and is loaded by a coil compression spring 27 whichtends to press the selector rod rearwardly, that is to say outwardly. Atits forward end which projects into the grip 2, the selector rod 26 isprovided with a collar 28 which engages behind a lug 29 projectinglaterally from the catch pawl 24 in such manner that the latter isprevented from rotating in the clockwise direction (see FIG. 2). In thisposition a projection 30 attached to the upper end of the catch pawl islocated outside the path of the nose 21 attached to the striker pin 22.Moreover, a further projector 31 on an arm of the catch pawl engagesunder a cranked portion 32 incorporated in the adjacent trigger rod 15,when the said trigger rod is located in its rest position, that is tosay when the trigger is not actuated.

When, however, the selector rod 26 is displaced inwardly, that is to sayforwardly towards the trigger, and the trigger is then actuated, wherebythe trigger rods 15 are moved to their hindmost position, the rear 16 ispressed out of the region of the nose 21 on the striker pin 22, thecranked portion 32 moves beyond the projection 31 on the arm of thecatch pawl 24, and the catch pawl is pivoted in the clockwise directionby a limb spring 33 to such extent that its other projection 30 travelsinto the region of the nose 21 of the striker pin 22. The

projection 30 on the catch pawl 24 detains the striker pin 22 byengagement with the nose 21 after the breech assembly 3 together withthe striker pin 22 has moved into its rearmost position. When the breechassembly is moved forwardly again by the main spring in a known manner,a control cam attached to the breech assembly but not illustrated indetail moves the catch pawl 24 downwardly as the breech attains itsforward position, so that then the striker pin 22 is released fortriggering a further shot. This play is repeated until by releasing thetrigger the projection 31 on the arm of the catch pawl 24 is depressedby the cranked portion 32 of the trigger rod 15 whereby the catch pawl24 is returned to its rest position in which it is ineffective.

The above statements make it clear that the conversion of the pistoldescribed by way of example from single shot firing to continuous firingmay be effected in the manner that the selector rod 26 is pressedagainst the force of the spring 27 from its rest position which itassumes under the force of the spring 27 and which is illustrated inFIG. 2, into the operative position illustrated in FIG. 3. The memberswhich permit such displacement of the selector rod 26 are, according tothe invention, not disposed in the pistol itself, but in the shouldersupport 4. These members consist of a selector pin 34 and a selectinglever 35. The selector pin 34 is mounted for displacement in itslongitudinal direction in an opening 36 in the shoulder support 4 in thecontinuation of the selector rod 26 of the attached pistol 1, and itsforward end projecting from the end face of the shoulder support 4engages into the opening in which the selector rod 26 is mounted. In theopening 36 of the shoulder support 4 in which the selector pin 34 ismounted there is located a coil compression spring 37 which tends topress the selector pin 34 out of the shoulder support and into theopening for the selector rod 26 provided at the rear end of thehandgrip.

The position of the pin 34 is determined by the selecting lever 35 whichis disposed on the outside of the shoulder support 4 and is pivotalabout an axis 38 directed transversely to the selector pin 34. On theinside of the selecting lever 35 there is located a pin 39 which engagesthrough a recess of the shoulder support into an elongated recess 40 ofthe selector pin 34 so that the selecting lever 35 and the selector pin34 are coupled together by means of a kind of pin and slot connection.By pivoting the selecting lever 35 which is provided with two detentpositions the pin 39 is displaceable in the longitudinal direction ofthe opening 36 in which the selector pin 34 is mounted. The position ofthe pin 39 determines the position of the selector pin 34 because therear end face of the recess 40 in the pin rests always on the pin 39under the force of the spring 37. As may be seen from FIG. 2, the pistol1 attached to the shoulder support 4 is adjusted to single shot firingwhen the pin 39 is located in its rear position because then theselector rod 26 assumes its rest position under the force of the spring27 in which its collar 28 engages behind the lug 29 of the catch pawl24. If, however, the pin 39, as may be seen from FIG. 3, is moved intoits foremost position by pivoting the selecting lever 35, the selectorpin 34 penetrates further into the opening for the selector rod 26 underthe force of the spring 37 and displaces the selector rod against theforce of the spring 27 to such extent that the collar 28 releases thelug 29 at the catch pawl 24 and the catch pawl can become operative. Inthis case the pistol is converted to continuous firing.

Independently of the fact whether the selector members disposed in theshoulder support 4 are adjusted to single shot firing or continuousfiring, the forward end of the selector pin 34 engages into the openingof the handgrip accommodating the selector rod 26. It prevents therebydisplacement of the pistol relatively to the shoulder support and thusconstitutes a simple and effective locking means of the two parts. Theslotlike recess 40 in the selector pin 34 permits selector pin 34 to bepressed back independently of the position of the selecting lever 35 sothat when the pistol and the shoulder support are assembled together bymeans of suitable inclined surfaces, the selector pin 34 can be pressedback, while these parts are pushed together, until it engages in therear end of the handgrip 2 of the pistol. The selecting lever 35 ispivotal rearwardly beyond the single shot firing position to such extentthat the selector pin 34 can be withdrawn from the opening in thehandgrip by means of the pin 39 when the pistol and the shoulder supportare to be separated again from each other.

It is understood that the invention is not limited to the embodimentillustrated by way of example, but that modifications thereof arepossible without the scope of the invention being exceeded. Inparticular, the invention is not limited to the trigger assemblyillustrated, but is usable in connection with any other trigger assemblywhich has a continuous fire arrangement. It is also not necessary thatthe selector member disposed in the pistol is formed by a rod, but itmay be formed for example by a resilient angle lever or the like. Also,the invention is independent of the kind of construction of theconnecting members between the shoulder support and the pistol. However,it is clear that the embodiment illustrated byway of example is aparticularly simple and particularly reliable realization of theinvention.

We claim:

1. A self-loading pistol comprising a trigger assembly, a handgrip meanshaving a rear end face, a shoulder support means, said trigger assemblybeing selectively adjustable to a first position for single shot firingand to a second position for continuous firing, said shoulder supportmeans being releasably attachable to said rear end face, said shouldersupport means including selector means for adjusting said triggerassembly to said first and second positions, said selector means beingdisposed in operative connection with said trigger assembly when saidshoulder support means is attached to said handgrip means, and whereinsaid trigger assembly includes safety means to retain said triggerassembly in said first position at all times when said shoulder supportmeans is disconnected from said hand grip member.

2. A self-loading pistol as claimed in claim 1, wherein said selectormeans for adjusting said trigger assembly includes a selector pinmounted for longitudinal displacement in said shoulder support means andhaving a forward end; wherein said shoulder support means includes aforward end face through which said forward end of said selector pinprojects; wherein said trigger assembly comprises a selector membermounted in said hand grip means and accessible from said rear end face,and wherein said forward end of said selector pin means is in operativeconnection with said selector member when said shoulder support means isconnected to said handgrip member.

3. A pistol according to claim 2, wherein said safety means includesspring means disposed to bias the selector member always in thedirection towards the rear end of the hand grip for retaining thetrigger assembly in the first position single shot firing adjustmentuntil the selector means is actuated.

4. A pistol according to claim 2, wherein the trigger assembly isprovided with a separate continuous firing device which is held in itsrest position in which it is inefiective by the selector member whensaid selector member is located in its rest position.

5. A pistol according to claim 4, wherein the continuous firing devicecomprises a catch pawl having a member for cooperating with a noseattached to a firing pin provided in the pistol, and wherein springmeans are provided to force said catch pawl member away from the path ofthe nose attached to the firing pin.

6. i A pistol according to claim 2, wherein the selector member includesa selector rod which is displaceable in its longitudinal direction andwhich is disposed axially in line with the selector pin mounted in theshoulder support means when the shoulder support means is connected tothe handgrip member.

7. A pistol according to claim 6, wherein the forward end of theselector rod projects into the interior of the handgrip and is providedwith a collar which engages behind a lug which projects laterally fromthe catch pawl when said trigger assembly is in said first position forsingle shot firing.

8. A pistol according to claim 7, wherein a spring is provided whichtends to press the selector pin out of the end face of the shouldersupport, and wherein a detained selecting lever is mounted in theshoulder support, said selecting lever forming an abutment against whichthe selector pin rests under the force of said last mentioned spring.

9. A pistol according to claim 2, wherein connecting members which canbe telescoped into each other are provided at the rear end of thehandgrip and at the end face of the shoulder support respectively, andwherein the selector pin engages resiliently into a recess disposed atthe rear end of the handgrip and thereby locks together the shouldersupport and the pistol.

10. A pistol according to claim 9, wherein the selector pin and theselecting lever are in engagement with each other b means of a pm andslot connection, and wherein the selecting lever is pivotable rearwardlyto such an extent that the selector pin can be withdrawn from the recessin the handgrip.

l 1. A pistol according to claim 1, wherein the shoulder support isconstructed as a hollow body for serving as a pistol holster and whereina cover of said support forms a support face for resting againstshoulder of a user of the pistol.

12. A pistol according to claim 1, wherein the shoulder support consistsof a synthetic resin material.

13. A pistol according to claim 1, wherein the shoulder support isconstructed watertight for floating in water together with the pistolcontained therein.

1. A self-loading pistol comprising a trigger assembly, a handgrip meanshaving a rear end face, a shoulder support means, said trigger assemblybeing selectively adjustable to a first position for single shot firingand to a second position for continuous firing, said shoulder supportmeans being releasably attachable to said rear end face, said shouldersupport means including selector means for adjusting said triggerassembly to said first and second positions, said selector means beingdisposed in operative connection with said trigger assembly when saidshoulder support means is attached to said handgrip means, and whereinsaid trigger assembly includes safety means to retain said triggerassembly in said first position at all times when said shoulder supportmeans is disconnected from said hand grip member.
 2. A self-loadingpistol as claimed in claim 1, wherein said selector means for adjustingsaid trigger assembly includes a selector pin mounted for longitudinaldisplacement in said shoulder support means and having a forward end;wherein said shoulder support means includes a forward end face throughwhich said forward end of said selector pin projects; wherein saidtrigger assembly comprises a selector member mounted in said hand gripmeans and accessible from said rear end face, and wherein said forwardend of said selector pin means is in operative connection with saidselector member when said shoulder support means is connected to saidhandgrip member.
 3. A pistol according to claim 2, wherein said safetymeans includes spring means disposed to bias the selector member alwaysin the direction towards the rear end of the hand grip for retaining thetrigger assembly in the first position single shot firing adjustmentuntil the selector means is actuated.
 4. A pistol according to claim 2,wherein the trigger assembly is provided with a separate continuousfiring device which is held in its rest position in which it isineffective by the selector member when said selector member is locatedin its rest position.
 5. A pistol according to claim 4, wherein thecontinuous firing device comprises a catch pawl having a member forcooperating with a nose attached to a firing pin provided in the pistol,and wherein spring means are provided to force said catch pawl memberaway from the path of the nose attached to the firing pin.
 6. A pistolaccording to claim 2, wherein the selector member includes a selectorrod which is displaceable in its longitudinal direction and which isdisposed axially in line with the selector pin mounted in the shouldersupport means when the shoulder support means is connected to thehandgrip member.
 7. A pistol according to claim 6, wherein the forwardend of the selector rod projects into the interior of the handgrip andis provided with a collar which engages behind a lug which projectslaterally from the catch pawl when said trigger assembly is in saidfirst position for single shot firing.
 8. A pistol according to claim 7,wherein a spring is provided which tends to press the selector pin outof the end face of the shoulder support, and wherein a detainedselecting lever is mounted in the shoulder support, said selecting leverforming an abutment against which the selector pin rests under the forceof said last mentioned spring.
 9. A pistol according to claim 2, whereinconnecting members which can be telescoped into each other are providedat the rear end of the handgrip and at the end face of the shouldersupport respectively, and wherein the selector pin engages resilientlyinto a recess disposed at the rear end of the handgrip and thereby lockstogether the shoulder support and the pistol.
 10. A pistol according toclaim 9, wherein the selector pin and the selecting lever are inengagement with each other by means of a pin and slot connection, andwherein the selecting lever is pivotable rearwardly to such an extentthat the selector pin can be withdrawn from the recess in the handgrip.11. A pistol according to claim 1, wherein the shoulder support isconstructed as a hollow body for serving as a pistol holster and whereina cover of said support forms a support face for resting againstshoulder of a user of the pistol.
 12. A pistol according to claim 1,wherein the shoulder support consists of a synthetic resin material. 13.A pistol according to claim 1, wherein the shoulder support isconstructed watertight for floating in water together with the pistolcontained therein.